Deep within the desert is a mysterious pyramid. Mysterious cuz back when a village existed within it, very few save those who resided in the village knew exactly what went on behind its walls. The pyramid itself was in the centre of the village, which was surrounded by high, forbidding walls with a huge gate in the middle. Outsiders spread rumours about the village, some true others simply fabrications built on truth. Visitors wondered; were the walls and gates there to keep people out, or to keep people in? Was there something terrible lurking within the depths of the pyramid, something that if it broke loose, could devastate the entire land? The truth was just as terrifying as the rumours, perhaps even more so. The village did not need high walls and barred gates to protect itself. Deep within the pyramid, there were certain rituals that took place in order to ensure that the village and the pyramid were protected from harm. Any enemies that penetrated the walls and attacked the village would be instantaniously struck down with a mysterious plague, one that devoured their bodies and left their bones to lie in the dust as a warning to others. The priests guarded their secret jealously, but bits and pieces of tales about the rituals escaped to be spread among the outsiders and to encourage them to fear the place as a dreadful warning of death. And how right they were to fear the pyramid. As anyone with any common sense would after learning the horror within the walls.

A scene now materialises in front of you. Looking at first like an innocuous film reel with the faded colours, the dank walls, the floors worn from centuries of footsteps. But then, you spy the girl. She hangs from the door, her head down and her face covered by the dark curtain that is her hair. She hangs from ropes fastened to metal hooks that are driven deep into the wood of the door; the ropes are tied around her wrists and neck, so tight that they are almost embedded in her pale skin. The girl is dressed in a plain shift, dark as blackest night. She does not move as blood drips from her; from her hands, her face; trailing down her legs and dripping off the toes of her bare feet to form a pool beneath her. Elaborately dressed men dip their hands in it up to the elbow, daubing it in the carvings on the door. They utter a droning chant that sounds almost like a hymn to some diabolical god. Busy with their duties, the men pay no attention to the prone figure that hangs above them like a marionette. They notice nothing save the sound of their chanting, til something falls down past their eyes and they stand back, staring. It is a blindfold; it flutters down to the floor like a hurt bird, landing on the edge of the pooled blood which stains its whiteness red. The priests then back away from the girl, praying for deliverence, their eyes wide with fear. The room is then racked with hideous screams as bodies are torn open by invisible forces, organs ripped out viciously, more blood splattered on the floor to mix with what is already there. Within minutes, every single one of the priests are dead. The ropes then break, seemingly of their own accord, and the girl drops to the ground. Despite her surroundings, she does not walk away at once. She knows what lies beyond the door, now.

The scene fades away, to your relief. You look about you at the very different surroundings. You are now standing at the edge of the desert; a few stunted bushes are in view, as well as a jackal hopefully nosing around a rubbish pile. An unearthly cry, like that of a soul in torment distracts you, and you turn to see a young man sitting down near to you, rocking backwards and forwards making a keening noise. He briefly lifts his head and you realise that he is mad; the jackal runs away in fear and you wish you could do likewise, but you are compelled to watch. A girl approaches him from behind. She is fairly pretty, with dark red hair and bright blue eyes. A smile hovers on her lips, one not so nice on the pretty face. She puts her arms around the young man from behind, whispering something in his ear. He freezes, as tho her touch is ice, his hand slipping down towards his pocket. There is still time for the girl to save herself, to escape the fate laid down as punishment for the awful crime she has committed. But she can not resist and thus her fate is sealed. The redheaded girl kisses the young man on the lips, a triumphant look in her blue eyes. Barely a minute passes, before he shoves her roughly away and she falls on her back like an upturned beetle. He pulls out a knife; its edge is keen and the light reflects off the blade. He screams to her about how much he loved her, how she has betrayed him and lied to him, all the time stabbing at the girl's soft flesh with the keen blade. He calls her Eirene, which is not her name, but in his madness, it is Eirene's face he sees before him. The girl desperately tries to fend away the knife, tries to tell him that she is not Eirene, but his blade silences her by slicing thru her heart and lungs, and she dies. The young man immediately shakes the girl, begging for her to wake. She does not respond; it is too late for that. The young man screams his unearthly cry once again to the heavens, slashing at his throat and wrists in his guilt and pain, as tears roll down his face to mingle with the blood. He does not die there, but in the hallway he gasps out his last breath before expiring, leaving a stain that will never wash out.

You are not sure how much more of this you can take. Luckily for you, there is just one last scene to be played out in the tragedy of the pyramid. Your new location is a bridge that crosses a pool of water. We'eds grow within the pond and fish nibble at said we'eds. There is a spring below it which keeps the pond full; it is also a lot deeper than it looks. Your secret wish to not witness any more mindless slaughter is destined to not be granted. Muffled screams can be heard, and you turn to see a girl being dragged accross the bridge by two men away from where you are standing, altho you did not see them go by. The girl turns her face up, and she is terrified. You can almost see the fear oozing from every part of her being, she is so frightened. One of the men slaps her roughly accross the face and calls her a wh*re. He gags her before she can respond, pulling the cloth tight around her face and knotting it behind her head, catching a few strands of hair within the knot. Tears pour from the girl's eyes as the second man ties her wrists and ankles together, securing an iron ball to each. One of the men, the man who struck her, is her own father; the other, her uncle. He finishes tying the ropes and roughly yanks a handful of hair as he berates his niece for attempting to ruin the Hound's Gate ritual. You have never heard of this term before, but somehow, you know what this is. The Hound's Gate ritual involves a young man who from the ages of seven to fourteen is raised as an animal, forced to crawl on all fours, make no noise save that of a dog and kept eternally chained up outside. He is kept away from the other villagers and kept pure, fed well and given plenty of exercise in order that he should grow up strong. His fate is to be drugged so that he is mentally changed into a mindless animal, then set upon the sacrifice; a youth chosen for this very reason. If the youth kills the Hound, then he is given the gift of life and banished from the village, and a new Hound is chosen. If the Hound kills the youth, then he is sent back to the doghouse to endure another seven years til the next ritual. Abruptly, the two men lift the girl and hurl her into the pool. She struggles, but the iron balls quickly pull her under and the water fills her mouth, her nose and finally her eyes. Bubbles rise to the surface and finally stop, indicating that the girl has drowned.

This is a tragedy in three parts. The tragedy signals the end of the village as it is buried by a sandstorm which suddenly rises up and engulfs the village, destroying everyone who still survives. Back to the present day, where the sand has fallen away revealing the village as it was back in its heyday. It is inhabited only by ghosts, and occasionally the odd group of people who feel they are courageous enough to brave the horror of the pyramid. But if you wish to be one of these groups, beware. Not all the ghosts are harmless. A maniac ghost haunts one of the hallways, where a bloodstain covers the floor. He will stab any girl who resembles his beloved. There is also the ritual girl, the Beast, the drowned girl and a host of other beings, some who reinact their grisley deaths, others who seek to force the living to share their fate. Be warned; and be careful; lest you not live to regret your decision to spend a month in the... Pyramid Of Dolls.